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By Wilson Joseph
Colleges pay close
attention to your life inside and outside the classroom. Yes, your
academics come first, but your activities reveal a great deal about you,
such as:
- What your
non-academic interests are
- Whether you can
manage your time and priorities
- Whether you can
maintain a long-term commitment
- What diversity you'd
bring to the student body
- How you've made a
meaningful contribution to something
Perhaps the greatest
myth about extracurricular activities (EC's) is that the greater the
number of activities you've participated in, the better off you are. But
in reality, quality far outweighs quantity in importance. Four or five
activities in which you've dedicated a lot of time to and you're really
passionate about looks most impressive.
Keep in mind that when
admissions officers are selecting their incoming classes, they're aiming
for a well-rounded group of students -- not a group of well-rounded
students. Each year they have to replace the graduates who have
participated in the math club, campus newspaper, intramural soccer team,
student government, etc.
By listing only the few
activities which you've spent the most time on and ignoring those that
you've contributed lesser to, you are emphasizing your main EC's. As a result,
admissions officers will believe that you're serious about them and
willing to continue pursuing them in college.
On the other hand, a
long list of activities on your college application will cause colleges to
question whether you're really passionate about any one of them -- if you were,
you would have given up some EC's to free up more time to spend on those
activities you really like -- and they will doubt your ability to make a
significant contribution to any particular EC at their college. Also,
remember that admissions officers read a lot of exaggerations on
applications: you don't want them to be suspicious of you when you were
actually being truthful.
I've composed a list of
5 essential EC's every student applying to selective colleges should
participate in. Many students get admitted to top colleges without having
participated in all 5 of these activities. But these are the EC's most
recommended by admissions officers and involvement in them can greatly increase
your admission chances.
Next:
5
Best EC's |
